1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to work stations, and more particularly to apparatus for supporting personnel and materials during building construction.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various equipment has been developed to enable persons to work on the outside of a building under construction. For example, multi-point mason's scaffolds are in widespread use.
Mason's scaffolds normally include a series of sturdy frames that are suspended from the building itself by flexible cables. To the frames are assembled numerous other components, including work decks, safety railings, and overhead canopies. The scaffold cables have respective ends that are normally tied to beams that are firmly anchored to an upper story of the building and that overhang the buidling wall. Power or manually operated winches or hoists are used both to attach the cables to the scaffold frames and to raise and lower the scaffold along the building wall. Scaffolds can be 5 feet or more in length, and they are able to safely carry personnel, equipment, and materials.
Despite their general acceptance in the construction industry, multi-point mason's scaffolds possess some disadvantages. The assembly of a mason's scaffold is a major undertaking. The decks, guard rails, and other components must be securely and safely assembled to the frames. Prior scaffolds require that the work decks and other components be custom built for each particular scaffold. The special components are time-consuming and thus expensive both to produce and to assemble into a scaffold. Although some types of standard work platforms are available, they have not been successfully integrated into prior mason's scaffolds.
In addition, it is a major task in prior mason's scaffolds to load materials and equipment onto them by means of an overhead crane. That is because the canopy must be disassembled above the area of the work deck to be loaded, and subsequent to loading, the canopy must be reassembled.
Thus, a need exists for improvements in mason's scaffolds.